Can Wal-Mart Push Both Sustainability and Consumption?

[B]y all means, let’s hold Walmart accountable. Let’s ask its top executives–notably, Mike Duke–to speak more publicly and forcefully about sustainability, so that everyone in the organization understands that it matters. Let’s ask Walmart to build sustainability metrics into its compensation system. There’s no more powerful signal to employees that a company cares about going green. Let’s ask Walmart to set near-term targets for buying renewable energy or reducing waste to put more teeth into those long-term aspirational goals. Let’s ask Walmart to begin a conversation with its consumers about what to buy and what they can afford. And by all means let’s ask Walmart to be a louder voice in public policy debates about energy and climate change. But there’s no point asking Walmart to stop being Walmart.